Ministers van volksgezondheid Raad van Europa wijzen op uitdagingen van migratie voor volksgezondheid en mensenrechten (en)

Press release - 830(2007)

Council of Europe health ministers address challenges posed by migration to health care services and human rights

Bratislava, 23.11.2007 - Ministers from the member states of the Council of Europe, who participated in the 8th Conference of European ministers responsible for health affairs which ended today in Bratislava, adopted the Declaration on Migration, Health and Human Rights setting out their agreement on a number of important proposals aimed at addressing challenges posed by migration to health care services and human rights in Europe.

The Bratislava declaration emphasises the need for states to work towards eliminating the practical obstacles and barriers to the enjoyment of equitable access to health protection of all people on the move, including those in an irregular situation.

The ministers agreed to take steps towards managing public health issues related to international migration by developing or strengthening partnerships between governments and organisations at all levels and to promote migrants' participation in programme planning, health services delivery, and evaluation.

The Bratislava declaration stresses the need to train and educate healthcare providers, health management planners and health educators on addressing health-care issues associated with population mobility and disparities in health services between geographical locations.

The ministers agreed to take steps to make health services for migrants more sensitive to the aspects of age, gender and diversity and to address the particular vulnerability of people on the move to some infectious diseases such as TB, HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections.

The participants also decided to encourage host countries to provide access to health care to refugees and other persons entitled to international protection on the same basis as nationals.

The declaration calls on member states to co-ordinate action between countries of origin and host countries to manage the emigration of health professionals from countries that invested in their training.

The ministers further recommended that those member states who have not yet done so consider signing and ratifying the Council of Europe legal texts that are aimed at facilitating the integration into health systems of migrant workers, such as the European Social Charter (revised), the European Convention on the Legal Status of Migrant Workers, the European Convention on Social and Medical Assistance, and the European Convention on Social Security.

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The participants re-committed themselves to the continued implementation of the Action Plan of the Warsaw Summit of the Heads of State and the Strategy for Social Cohesion and recommended that the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe continues to promote policies incorporating the ethical, social and human rights dimension into health policies and to strengthen the Council of Europe's role as a guardian of human rights and social cohesion by including the components of solidarity and intercultural dialogue in European health policies, including migrants, refugees and other people on the move.

The ministers also recommended to the European Health Committee (CDSP) to develop a programme of work on the current health challenges of vulnerable groups including migrants, refugees, asylum seekers, and Roma and Travellers with a view to making concrete proposals on the management and delivery of health care services to these groups of the population.

Link to the Bratislava Declaration on Migration, Health and Human Rights

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